West Virginia University
41-15
Wake Forest
39-21
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| West Virginia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | X | 10 | 13 | 1 |
Mountaineers Defeat Wake Forest to Advance to Regional Final
May 31, 2026 04:33 PM | Baseball
Junior Dawson Montesa stepped up on the mound, tossing 7.1 innings while striking out seven and giving up five runs, four earned. It was his longest outing of the season as he threw 122 pitches. Graduate student Reese Bassinger closed the game with 1.2 scoreless innings and a pair of strikeouts.
Graduate Sean Smith had three hits in the game and drove in two runs. Sophomore Gavin Kelly had two hits and scored two runs while senior Ben Lumsden reached base four times and also crossed the plate twice.
The Mountaineers took the lead in the second inning with three runs, beginning with a wild pitch allowing Smith to score. Junior Tyrus Hall followed with an RBI single before a second run came in on the play due to an error by the right fielder.
Wake Forest scored a run in the third before hitting a two-run home run in the fourth to tie up the game.
In the fifth, Smith delivered with a two-out RBI single to score Kelly, putting the Mountaineers back on top. WVU then extended the lead with five runs in the sixth, getting RBI hits from Lumsden, junior Armani Guzman, and Kelly. Senior Paul Schoenfeld followed with a sacrifice fly before a pickoff attempt to second got away, allowing Guzman to score. The 10th run of the game for the Mountaineers came home when Smith hit an RBI double.
The Demon Deacons scored a run in both the seventh and eighth to get a little closer but were unable to mount a serious rally.
It will be the third straight regional final for West Virginia, having won the Tucson Regional in 2024 and Clemson Regional in 2025.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Montesa, Dawson (4-5)
L: Dressler, Troy (8-2)
Batting:
2B: Wentz, Dalton 1 ; Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Williams, Javar 1
HR: Conte, Matt 1 ; Costello, Andrew 1
RBI: Conte, Matt 2 ; Williams, Javar 1 ; Costello, Andrew 1
SH: Stein, JD 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wentz, Dalton 2 ; Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Conte, Matt 1 ; Costello, Andrew 1
SB: Williams, Javar 1
HBP: Williams, Javar 1
Batting:
2B: Kelly, Gavin 1 ; Smith, Sean 1 ; Lumsden, Ben 1
RBI: Kelly, Gavin 1 ; Guzman, Armani 1 ; Schoenfeld, Paul 1 ; Hall, Tyrus 1 ; Smith, Sean 2 ; Lumsden, Ben 1
SH: Ineich, Matt 1
SF: Schoenfeld, Paul 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Graveline, Matthew 1 ; Kelly, Gavin 2 ; Guzman, Armani 1 ; Hall, Tyrus 1 ; Smith, Sean 1 ; Kresser, Brodie 1 ; Ineich, Matt 1 ; Lumsden, Ben 2
SB: Schoenfeld, Paul 1
